THE Supreme Court (SC) yesterday issued a temporary restraining order against the implementation of Bangsamoro Autonomy Act No. 77, also known as the Bangsamoro Parliamentary Redistricting Act of 2025.
The order “enjoined” the Commission on Elections (Comelec) and the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) from implementing BAA 77 “effective immediately.”
The high court also directed the poll body and the BTA to file their comments within a non-extendible period of five days after receipt of the court’s order.
Comelec chairman George Garcia said they will discuss the impact of the SC directive on the poll body’s ongoing preparations for the October 13 Bangsamoro Parliamentary Elections.
“We need to discuss this TRO immediately (today) tomorrow in the en banc,” Garcia said, adding that “we will immediately study its impact on the October 13 elections and whether we need to stop our preparations.”
In the same order, the SC also consolidated the two petitions filed challenging the constitutionality of BAA 77.
The first petition was filed by a group led by Deputy Speaker of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority Lanang Ali Jr., along with Mahdie Amella of the League of Bangsamoro Organizations and Dats Magon of the Federation of Bangsamoro Councils of the Philippines.
The second petition was lodged by a group led by Abdulah Macapaar, alias “Kumander Bravo.”
BAA 77, which was approved by the Bangsamoro Parliament on third and final reading last August 19, reorganized the 33-member parliamentary districts in the BARMM. Bangsamoro region Interim Chief Minister Abdulraof Macacua signed it into law on August 28.
The Bangsamoro Transition Authority Parliament has said that the passage of the law will result in the distribution of the seven vacant seats originally allotted to Sulu before the SC ruled to exclude the province from the coverage of the BARMM.
The reconfigured parliamentary districts are the following: two for the special geographic area in Cotabato, nine for Lanao del Sur, five each for Maguindanao del Norte and Maguindanao del Sur, four each for Basilan and Tawi Tawi, and three for Cotabato City. – With Gerard Naval
